Sorry it has taken me a bit, but I would like to pass some sad news onto the folks who run NorCal HOW.

Heroes on the Waters founder, Jim Dolan passed last Sunday of a sudden stroke. I found out Monday morning from another one of our area coordinators.

Jim left a legacy starting this great organization. I have seen and have helped many veterans through it and have seen lives change because of it. He will be missed but his memory lives on for those of us who had the opportunity to meet him, fish with him and help in this organization.

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I just had to post this. For all of you who can't afford a kayak, this ride is SWEET~!!!

Hopefully the link works

since the wife and I are packing up and heading east to Texas I have two float tubes for sale. One that is in good condition and one that needs a new tube.

Make me an offer and you can have them both. Only been used les than 20 times in their life and have been sitting in storage (indoors) I also have one set of fins that comes with them.

My groups bi-annual Alaska trip is coming up next year and I would like to open it up to anyone who can afford the trip of a lifetime.

We will be staying at Tim Berg's Trophy lodge in Soldontna while driving to our destinations on the Kenai Peninsula. The cost of the lodge stay is a bit over 3 grand and includes six days of fishing, a bed and  two great meals a day. Lunch consists on sandwiches and snacks (as much as you want to carry) each day. There is an extra cost if one decides to take an all day trip on the Kenai as well as a flyout to catch sockeyes.
A typical week looks like this

Saturday- fly in to Anchorage and drive to Soldotna
Sunday- A close to home trip like drifting for salmon on the Kasiloff or flyfishing the Upper Kenai
Monday- A trip out to Seward for a multi species trip.
Tuesday- Salmon fishing on the Kenai
Wednesday- another multi species trip out of Homer
Thursday-flyout
Friday drift fishng on the Kasiloff

I have my trip tailored to my liking so I'm out on the ocean more.
The cost is a lot of WAF ppoints (3.3K )without airfare, car rental (split between all of us), fish pot, or tips for the deckhands or guides. So if you are real interested E-mail me at sguittard@yahoo.com and I can get you connected with the outfitters. The more people we get there is more of a discount. Right now I do believe we have 4 or 5 slots left.

Got up way to early for a weekend so I decided to head out for a few hours of bass fishing at Calero.
Got to the gate at 9:00 and paid my 19.00 bucks!!!! Man for a guy to breeze over a kayak in 5 seconds ain't worth the $7.00; neither is the $12.00 to park. Oh well Calfornia is broke so I helped out.

Headed towards the North west shore and trolled along the 5-6 foot depth line with my favorite jumbo minnows. Got my first one at about 9:30-a 2 pounder who had no fight what-so-ever. Just came to the kayak for a quick release. Moved up shore abut 50 years and got a real good birdsnest in my reel so while I was letting line out, another bass hit and helped me straighten out the birds nest. He fought a little bit better and had the biggest head to body ratio I have seen. He want about 3 pounds and back in the drink he went.

 Kept working that shore till about 11:30  and ended up with two more nice female one was almost 5 pounds. Sorry no pictures. I'm to lazy to get a battery and besides. when I go the drinkagain I sure son't want to ruin a good camera. 

Overall a good day for a few hours now I am at home making a killer BBQ sauce

Got up a bit late and did some chores around the house then headed out somewhere close and it was either Calero or SCR. Since I have never got a fish out of SCR I decided to pack it up and head out there.

Arrived sometime before 11:00 and on the water 30 minutes later. Marked a lot of fish right off the launch so I decided to put a Kastmaster in front of them. Two minutes into my troll, BENDO and a swing and a miss. Tried going through again and NADA . I setup pole #2 with a wedding ring and a small piece of power worm. Set that about 60-75 feet behind the kayak and headed toward the dam. About 5 minutes, BAM! SOlid hook up of a little stocker. THis started the pattern for the rest of the day. Set out the pole and watch the little guys tap the heck out of it then hook themselves. The ones I let hit to long swallowed it so home they went for dinner.

Finished off with 5 that went home and 5 released. Left at 3:15.

Overall it was fun, especially using my new ultralite. It was nice to be back on the water since January.

Had a late start and a long drive to Del Valle from Sunnyvale via Castro Valley  to get bait. Arrived at Castro Valley and waited 10 minutes before delivey truck showed up with minnows. Picked up half a dozen then made my way over to the lake.

Got setup and got on the water at about 11:00 and started trolling a Firetiger Shad rap and a wedding ring to try my luck at trout. Nada, but marked a lot of fish in 15-20 feet of water.
I made my way back to the marina and ran into Lee and we teamed up to try our luck at striper fishing; my first time ever on a lake. We drifted for a bit and got nothing so I set up one of my rods for trout and toss in a piece of powerbait while drifting a minnow. Got a great drive by about a half hour later and missed. Felt like a good sized trout. Set up again and checked my drowning minnow. He's swimming a bit slow, but still alive so down he went. Still drifting away from the marina, I watch as my trout rod goes off and I land a 16" rainbow. Lee takes the picture. Then a few minutes later my slow poke minnow gets eaten and I get my first striper. Little short so back he goes.

Then Lee get a shorty and releases it. At about 3:30-4:00 we're sitting right next to eachother and both are fishfinders start registering fish and the fun began. Lee hooks up with a nice 22 incher then I get nailed with a keeper, then on the next drop with both of my poles set up with minnows, I get hit on one with a nice one and during that battle the other pole goes off-DOUBLE!!! Lee's coaching and telling me which one feels bigger and get him up first, which I did 20" then I went after the other one and he's the shorty. BAck he went for another day.

It was a lot of fun and as Lee say's "Kayaking is fun and the fish are just a bonus." Great fising with you Lee.

Today was a day off for me so the wife lets me get out the kayak and go fish. Since I was slow leaking this morning I decided I'd try my luck crappie fishing, so I pull out my crappie stuff,load up the kayak and off I go.

On the water by 10:00 and piddly fartin' around a cove I know holds crappie for nada. I decide to paddle over to the first dam to try there. I get out there launch out my little 1/32oz jig and get a takedown. Got my first one. It was a bit over a pound. Then I started patterning out my cast to locate the school to no avail. Just picked up a couple here and there, but no big concentrations (I need to get my fishfinder!) I then decide to start hitting the outside of weedlines to see if they were sitting around there. Again, no, but the darn bass were. I was nailing them on that little jig. I got a couple of cookie cutters, a couple of two pounders, a four and a six pounder who I watched slam into a school of minnows right next to my jig. I jigged it, she hit it and dragged me around a bit.

Fun day, of the water by 2:30 home at three, enjoying a beer.